Accelerate root cause analysis and minimize equipment downtime — identify the source layer of an out-of-control event automatically
Applied SmartFactory Defect Source uses AI to troubleshoot Out-of-Control (OOC) defect events in semiconductor manufacturing. By automatically identifying defect source layers, it helps engineers accelerate root cause analysis and reduce manual troubleshooting. For yield engineers, this removes the slowest step in an excursion response. Instead of working backward through layers by hand, the investigation opens with a candidate source and a clear place to focus corrective action.
Applied SmartFactory Defect Source accelerates root cause analysis by triggering automated defect source identification when an OOC event occurs, turning an analysis that took hours into one that takes seconds. Time-to-decision for defect source identification drops by more than 50%, and manual troubleshooting effort for yield engineers falls by 90%. Because it builds on existing defect management investments, engineers work from data they already trust.
Defect Source helps teams make faster decisions, reduce engineering effort, and shorten equipment stop-loss time during defect investigations.
Proven production results include:
An OOC event triggers automated defect source identification and root cause analysis, so the source layer is identified without an engineer initiating the analysis. That reduces the delay between detection and investigation, which is usually where the hours go.
Time-to-decision for defect source identification drops by more than 50%, and analysis that previously took hours completes in seconds. Manual troubleshooting effort for yield engineers falls by 90%.
No. Engineers work through an intuitive, web-based troubleshooting storyline that does not require data science expertise, which is what moves defect source analysis out of expert-only workflows.
No. It builds on top of existing DMS investments rather than replacing them, so the change is additive to the defect infrastructure already in place.
It integrates with systems such as Klarity, Discover, and in-house solutions, using standard protocols and file types including KLARF and TIFF.
It combines inspection and review data from AOI, SEM, TEM, and wafer maps to provide more comprehensive defect analysis than any one of those sources supports on its own.
Defect Source identifies the source layer of an out-of-control event automatically, so engineers spend their time on corrective action instead of on the search.
